h richards



I. H RICHARDS. Separator and Purifier. No. 233,375. Patented Oct.19,1880.

ITN SS S; W N WR- W flaw ".FETERS, PMDm-LITHQGRAPHER WASHINGTON D cUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC H. RICHARDS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

SEPARATOR AND PURIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,375, dated October19, 1880,

Application filed February 13, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISAAC H. RICHARDS, ofIndianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Apparatus for Purifying Middlings orSeparating Grain and other Material, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for purifying middlings and separatin g grain or other material, in which a centralair-column, composed of hollow conical airdistributers provided withair-passages at each end and pipe-connections, operates in conjunctionwith a grain or middlings column, also composed of inverted conicalmiddlings or grain chutes, and pipe-connections having air-passagesabove and below between theinverted conical chutes and the ends of thepipes connected therewith, and an outside dust-jacket; and the objectsof my improvements are, first, to provide a means for producing acontinuous blast of air in the form of annular sheets at various heightsand in opposite directions from the central air-column; second, toprovide a means for distributing said air-blast in conical sheets, andof causing two opposite currents or sheets of air to come together,forming eddies, through which the middlings or grain has to pass; third,to afford facilities for concentrating and scouring the middlin gs orgrain before it falls in annular sheets onto adistributing-cone,.accompanied by an annular sheet of air from thecentral air-chamber; fourth, to provide a means for the removal of dust,dirt, or other impurities from the middlings or grain while it is beingdistributed or spread out and falling through a sheet of ascending airor in the eddies of air before being re-collected or con centrated for asimilar treatment below; fifth, to afford facilities for the propercollection and discharge of the dust or otherimpurities which arescoured and freed from the grain or middlings in its downward passagethrough the middlings or grain column; sixth, to afford facilities for aconstant pressure of air in the central air-column. I attain theseobjects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the entire machine. aFig. 2 isa top view of the machine with the feed-pipe removed. Fig. 3 isa cross-section taken at the line X X. Fig. 4 is a top view of theinverted conical grain or middlings chute. the central air-column as itwould appear at the line X X, and Fig. 6 is also across-section of thesame air-column, taken at theline X X Similar letters refer to similarparts th roughout the several views.

The central air-column is composed of a series of hollow metallictruncated cones, M M, united together at their bases, and having theirsmaller open ends provided with short corrugated cylinders N above and Nbelow, to receive the pipe-connections O and form air-passages betweenthem, as indicated by the arrows to m.

The corrugations in the cylinders N N may be of any form; but I preferthem made so as to let the air which passes from the inside between themand the pipe 0 enter the corrugations in streams or separated currents,as shown atf, Fig. 3, and gradually unite these separate streams aboutmidway of its passage by increasing the width of the corrugations, asshown at f, Fig. 5, and finally to convert the several streams into oneannular sheet of air as it leaves the corrugations and pipe 0, as shownat Fig. 6.

The band of rubber or other material, N encircles the pipes O O O 0 andis designed to be raised or lowered for the purpose of regulating theamount of air discharged at the ends of said pipes. Several of thesedouble cones M M, constructed similar to that just described, are unitedtogether by pipes O O 0 as shown in Fig. l, and the upper cone-cylinder,N, is provided with a shorter pipe, 0, which is also provided with acone, K, on top, for the purpose of distributing the material to becleaned as it falls thereon frdm the hopper or feed-pipesleeve-connection J above. This feed-pipe sleeve may be made adjustableup or down on the feed-pipe J by means of the set-screw J or any othersuitable device, for the purpose of regulating the amount of materialfed to the cone K. The lower end of this central air-cone may besupported upon any ordinary frame-work by a bracket-support, Q, and isconnected with the pipe Q, which leads to a fan or pressure-blower. (NotFig. 5 is a cross-section of 55 shown.) \Vhen air is forced within thiscentral air-column it passes out at the top and bottom of all thepipe-connections 0 in the form of annular sheets. These sheets of airare also distributed and spread outward by contact with the outerconical surfaces of the cones M M. Thus the current of air that passesout at the top of the pipe spreads outward as it ascends in the invertedconical chute C, While the air that comes out at the bottom of the pipe0 spreads out as it descends. Thus the currents of air m and n wouldmeet and form eddies at p, which is at the union of the two cones M M.

Outside of the central air-column is arranged the grain or middlingscolumn, which is composed of a series of pipes, B, and a series ofinverted conical chutes, U. The lower ends of the conical chutes U arecut off, leaving small annular spaces P between them and the pipes 0 t)of the central air column.

On the outside of each conical chute C is arranged a series of radialribs or flanges, F and D, having perpendicular parts 1, to fit inside ofthe upper ends of the pipes B, and further provided with stops orshoulders E, to support and hold said conical chutes firmly in place onsaid pipes, with segmental airspaces w between them.

On the inside of the conical chute U are also arranged radial bracketsI), with shoulders a and perpendicular parts G, to receive and supportthe lower ends of the pipes B, and also form segmental air-spaces 10between them.

The lower end of the middlings or grain column is provided with adischarge-spout, S, for delivering the cleaned material.

The upper pipe, B, may be provided with a hopper, I, to prevent grain ormiddlings from falling into the dust-chamber outside of the grain andmiddlings column.

To the outer side of the hopper I, or to the upper pipe, B, is secured aspider or framework, G H, for the purpose of securing the upper end ofthe dust-jacket A. This dustjacket A is made of fibrous or porousmaterial and extends to the bottom of the machine, where it is alsosecured to the frame-work it below, and is designed to collectimpurities that are separated from the falling grain or other material.The lower end of this jacket is provided with a discharge-spout, T, fordelivering the material collected therein, or a suction-fan may beattached. Should the inner walls of the jacket become coated too thickto permit air to freely pass through the pores, a few strokes with aheater will free it from the accumulated matter attached thereto.

The operation of my new machine is as follows, to wit: The fan orpressure blower (not shown) being in operation, air is forced throughthe pipe Q into the central air-column. The air passes out at the topand bottom of each pipeconnection 0 O 0 0 as before described. Themiddlings, grain, or other material to be purified, separated, orcleaned is fed onto the cone K through the spout J, the amount ofmaterial fed being regulated by the sleeve J. The grain or othermaterial, as it descends, strikes the annular sheet of air coming out ofthe lower end of the upper pipe, 0, and the falling material isdistributed or spread out by reason of the cone M, the air-blast at thesame time carrying outward any foreign matter that may be loosened fromthe falling material. As the material that is to be cleaned reaches thebase of the upper cone, M, it slides ofl' and falls into the invertedcone 0. At the same time an upward current or annular sheet of air fromthe upper end of the connecting-pipe (J passes through the fallingmaterial at an angle. These two currents of air, meeting at 12', causean ed- (1 y, and pass :through the falling material. carrying outthe'impurities liberated through the segmental spaces w of the cone 0into the dustchamber X. The falling material to be cleaned is againconcentrated, and passes through the opening P at the bottom of thegrain or middlings chute (3, where it again spreads out and encounterssimilar currents of air to those just described, thus removing more ofthe loosened impurities, some of which pass into the dustchamber throughthe segmental air-passages 20 below the chute 0. Thus the same operationis repeated until the material to be cleaned is purified or separated,the purified material passing out at the bottom of the machine throughthe spout S, while the dust and impurities are delivered through thespout T.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,ise 1. In a middlings-purifier, the central airdistributing columncomposed of cones M M, open at their small ends and united at theirbases, and the small ends provided with cylinders N, having air-passageson the outside, the pipes 0 O 0 0 the cone K, and fan-pipe Q,substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

2. In a middlings-purifier, the pipesO 0 O 0, provided with anadjustable ring, N of rubber or other equivalent material, combined withthe cones M M, having the tubes N, and adapted to open or close theair-passages between the said pipes and inner cylinders, N, of thecones, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a middlings-purifier, the cylinders N, having corrugations orair-passages on the outside, combined with the pipes O 0' 0 0 wherebythe air under pressure in the central air-column is discharged at thetop and bottom of said pipes, substantially as described.

4. In a middlings-purifier, the cone M of the central air-column,provided with a cylinder, N, in combination with surrounding pipe 0,forming, in connection with cylinder N, an annular air-passage, wherebythe air under pressure in the central air-column is discharged at theend of the pipe and the material to be cleaned spread on the cone as itfalls, substantially as described.

5. In a middlings-purifier, the two cones M and M of the centralair-column, having their small ends cut oil", and provided withcylinders N, combined with cylinders O and united at their bases, forthe purpose of spreading the material to be cleaned in its descent, alsofor the purpose of spreadingthe upward and downward sheets of air asthey emerge from the ends of the pipes O O substantially as shown anddescribed.

6. In a middlings-purifier, the middlings-column composed of the pipes Band inverted-cone chutes O, as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a middlings-purifier, the cones O of the middlings-column, havingan opening, P, at its bottom, and provided with internal and externalradiating ribs, D D F, for supporting and holding in position the pipesB, substantially as described.

8. In a middlings-purifier, the cone 0, havin g internal and externalribs, D D F, forming air-passages w to above and below the cone, fromthe interior of the middlings-column to the dust-chamber X,substantially as shown and described.

9. In a middlings-purifier, the cone 0, havin g an annular opening, P,at its base, between it and the central air-column, combined with thecones M M of the central air-column and the air-passages at the upperends of the pipes O 0 whereby the falling material is scattered in anair-blast as it falls on and leaves the cone M, and is caught,re-collected, and discharged through said annular space P; at the sametime the falling material, while being re-collected in the cone 0, issubjected to an upward and outward air-blast from the upper end of thepipes O, substantially as specified.

10. In a Iniddlings-purifier, the cone 0, with openings to w between itand the pipes B, combined with the central air-column, whereby thefalling material to be cleaned encounters downward and upward currentsof air, the material is spread apart and re collected, and the dust andimpurities removed into the dust-chamber X between the middlings-columnand outer jacket, A, substantialky as described.

11. In a middlings-purifier, the two cones M M, combined with the cone0, having openings opposite, or nearly opposite, the union of the basesof the cones M M, whereby the upward and downward currents of air whichare spread outward by said cones M M meet at 10, forming eddies, andcarry off any of the impurities sidewise through the openings to,substantially as specified.

12. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of the central air-columnand the middlings-column, constructed as described and combined with theouter porous jacket, A, substantially as described, for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereof I have si ned my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ISAAC H. RICHARDS. Witnesses:

E. O. FRINK, GEORGE H. BENNETT.

